Overflowing bins in Valley Gardens prompt summer fears

A resident has raised concerns about litter in Valley Gardens in Harrogate after bins overflowed at Easter.

North Yorkshire Council has been criticised for its decision to reduce the number of litter bins to save money.

It is spending £478,000 on replacing about 1,500 litter bins in the former Harrogate district with 775 larger bins.

The Stray Ferret has covered the issue extensively, with the council saying in January it would review the policy after complaints.

Eileen Dockray, who took the photos accompanying this article on Sunday morning, raised concerns about the impact of the new approach on Valley Gardens.

She said:

“More than half of the bins in the gardens have been removed.

“I am not sure when they had last been emptied but they were not like that on Saturday morning. Monday was very similar after the good weather and families taking advantage of it.”

Ms Dockray added she feared the situation would get worse as summer approaches and visitor numbers increase.

A North Yorkshire Council spokesman denied there was a problem. They said:

“There was not a reduced service over Easter. The bins were emptied as normal with no overflowing bins reported.”

The spokesperson did not respond to our request for details about the number of bins that have been removed from Valley Gardens.

In 2022, smart bins were trialled in the town as a joint venture between the now defunct Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire Council.

According to a Harrogate borough councillor at the time, the bins used sensors to send alerts when they need emptying to avoid overflowing. Later the same year Harrogate Borough Council installed six smart bins, costing a total of £26,100, in Valley Gardens.

Last year a May bank holiday gathering required a major clean-up operation the following day.

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Harrogate to host three-day electric vehicles event

Harrogate is to host a three-day event promoting electric vehicles and green energy next month.

Everything Electric North will take place from May 24 to 26 at the Yorkshire Event Centre at the Great Yorkshire Showground.

The event aims to encourage greater use of electric cars.

According to North Yorkshire Council. there are currently 133 electric vehicle charging units in Harrogate, 74 of which are in the town itself.

Expert panels will debate whether electric vehicle charging at work and destinations should be standard practice and whether you really need a driveway to own an electric car.

Last year’s Everything Electric North event in Harrogate.

North Yorkshire Council’s electric vehicle infrastructure officer will feature on the panel.

The council’s electric vehicle infrastructure rollout strategy is part of the North Yorkshire Local Transport Plan.

Barrie Mason, the council’s assistant director for highways and transport, said:

“More and more people are turning to electric vehicles as ways of driving down the cost of motoring and helping the environment and North Yorkshire is no exception.

“Harrogate, in particular, has shown a steady month-on-month increase in the number of charging sessions since the EV infrastructure became live at the beginning of last year.

“Our aim is to encourage more people to make the move to electric vehicles and our infrastructure rollout is an important part of convincing people across the county that there is a dependable, viable alternative to petrol and diesel.”

According to the council, in 2023 there were almost 11,000 charging sessions recorded, with a further 3,520 up to the end of February.

This means that 340,770 miles were travelled by electric vehicles which used these facilities last year, with a further 123,475 miles covered up to the end of last month.  In total, this has saved more than 175 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

This is the second consecutive year that Everything Electric North will be held at the Yorkshire Event Centre, and its 15th exhibition around the world.

Event chief executive Dan Caesar said:

“The venue and location received a huge thumbs-up from our audience.

“We display electric vehicles of all shapes and sizes from micro-mobility options like bikes and boards, up to trucks and tractors, but the centrepiece is an array of hundreds of electric cars and thousands of test drives.”

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Pizzeria planned for ex-Regal Fruiterers site in Harrogate

A new pizza restaurant is planned to open on King’s Road in Harrogate.

A premises licence has been submitted to North Yorkshire Council by Stefano’s Pizza restaurant UK Ltd. at 144 King’s Road.

The company has applied for the sale of alcohol from 11am until 11pm, Monday to Sunday.

The site was formerly Regal Fruiterers, which was located at the site for 50 years with a neighbouring florist, Regal Flowers.

The fruiterers, owned by Peter and Dawn Weatherhead, moved from King’s Road to Harlow Hill last year.

Mr Weatherhead told the Stray Ferret at the time:

“Regal has been in Harrogate for over 50 years and we’re excited to be writing a new chapter. A lot of our customers live up in the Harlow Hill area anyway, and a lot of the customers we have spoken to on King’s Road have said they’ll follow us up there.”

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Pizzeria planned for ex-Regal Fruiterers site in Harrogate

A new pizza restaurant is planned to open on King’s Road in Harrogate.

A premises licence has been submitted to North Yorkshire Council by Stefano’s Pizza restaurant UK Ltd. at 144 King’s Road.

The company has applied for the sale of alcohol from 11am until 11pm, Monday to Sunday.

The site was formerly Regal Fruiterers, which was located at the site for 50 years with a neighbouring florist, Regal Flowers.

The fruiterers, owned by Peter and Dawn Weatherhead, moved from King’s Road to Harlow Hill last year.

Mr Weatherhead told the Stray Ferret at the time:

“Regal has been in Harrogate for over 50 years and we’re excited to be writing a new chapter. A lot of our customers live up in the Harlow Hill area anyway, and a lot of the customers we have spoken to on King’s Road have said they’ll follow us up there.”

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Business Breakfast: Three Boroughbridge pubs awarded national accreditation

Three Boroughbridge pubs have been awarded Cask Marque accreditation.

The award recognises the quality of the beers at the Grantham Arms, Fox and Hounds and Tap on the Tutt, based on temperature, aroma, appearance and taste.

Simon Wade, who owns the pubs, said the accreditation would help put Boroughbridge on the map as a destination for quality ales. He said:

“For all three of our pubs to get the accreditation is incredible. It means we now become part of the national Real Ale Trail which will hopefully bring new visitors to the town. Great credit to our teams at all three venues for keeping on top of cellar management and to our fantastic sponsor Rudgate Brewery.”

The three pubs offer 12 cask ales between them from breweries including Rudgate, Timothy Taylor’s and Theakstons, alongside guest beers on rotation.

Harrogate Healthcare company wins national care award

A Harrogate healthcare company has won a national award.

Vida Healthcare, which specialises in dementia care, won the accolade at the Great British Care Awards.

It won the National Three Rs (Recruitment, Retention and Recognition) award at the event. The company also won the same award last year.

James Rycroft, managing director at Vida Healthcare, said:

“We’re over the moon to have won the national Three Rs award at the Great British Care Awards – it’s a fantastic achievement and a reflection of our commitment to nurturing the future of social care talent. As part of our dedication to creating better care for people living with dementia, our long-term mission is to continue to build on our cohort of understanding and professional care workers.”

From left to right: Bernadette Mossman, healthcare director, Jill Young, operations director, James Rycroft, managing director.

Digital agency appoints new director of international

National digital agency idhl has appointed Sam Ogrizovic as Director of International to launch the firm’s first office in the US.

The company specialises in performance media, e-commerce, web development, data and email marketing.

idhl was established in Harrogate in 2000. The agency now operates nationally across the UK with offices in London, Leeds, Manchester and Newcastle – employing more than 400 people.

Ogrizovic will hire a team of digital experts in the coming months, with the New York office due to open in summer 2024.

Mr Ogrizovic said:

“I’m an entrepreneurial person and there are few occasions in your career which allow you to work with a business you know well to launch a new territory from scratch. Knowing that I have the strong engine and reputation of idhl behind me is a huge advantage and I cannot wait to get going!”

Ben Wood, CEO at idhl, said:

“Sam is the perfect candidate to spearhead our US office launch, his tenacity and ability to form really strong relationships with clients as we deliver fantastic results for them is second to none. This is an extremely exciting time of growth for idhl, the potential to roll-out our products and services to the US market is huge.

Henshaws College completes outdoor classroom

Henshaws Specialist College has opened a new yurt as part of its Forest School offering.

The move follows a £25,000 donation from Barratt Developments Yorkshire East to fund an outdoor classroom.

The college provides education and care for young people aged 18-25 years old who have disabilities and complex needs.

Gemma Young, fundraising development manager at Henshaws, said:

“With the donation we were able to have a 22 ft yurt with a wood burning stove installed to base the sessions from, so the students can continue to learn outdoors, even in bad weather. We were so pleased to welcome Barratt Developments Yorkshire East to the college so they could see how far their generous donation has gone for our students and facilities.”

Henshaws Specialist College completes outdoor classroom following local housebuilder donation

Skin Clinic shortlisted in The UK Hair and Beauty Awards

Relax & Renew Skin Clinic, Green Hammerton has been shortlisted in the UK Hair and Beauty Awards.

The firm has been nominated in the ‘‘Skin Specialist Of The Year’ category.

The UK Hair and Beauty Awards supports businesses of all sizes, and provide candidates with opportunities in the sector.

Gemma Carlisle of Relax and Renew said:

“This business means the absolute world to me. I only started it 2.5 years ago and it has grown & grown into the thriving business that it is today! This is down to my utter determination and passion but also the support of the local community, that have truly allowed me to make my dreams come true”

Tech business nominated for national awards

Phase 4 Computers has been nominated in the Tech Awards 2024 by Tech for Techs.

The recognition acknowledges commitment to innovation, excellence, and performance in the tech industry.

The company has been nominated for a total of four awards, in the following categories: Tech For Techs Community Expert, Best Use Of Social Media, Best Tech Website (not an online store) and Best Shop Front.

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29,000 trees planted in Masham to create new woodlands

Almost 30,000 trees are being planted on Swinton Estate in Masham as part of a new woodlands initiative.

Plant nursery, Johnsons Nurseries Ltd, has supplied the trees and whips – the young seedlings, to the 20,000-acre estate.

Funding for this project has come from the White Rose Forest through its Trees for Climate programme, part of the government’s Nature for Climate Fund.

The White Rose Forest is the Community Forest for North and West Yorkshire and works with landowners, businesses and communities across the region to provide support and funding for woodland creation projects that will benefit communities and the environment.

Over 30 varieties of trees were supplied for the woodlands via The DTMS Group, contracted to deliver the landscaping for the project. The varieties included Pinus sylvestris, Picea abies, Sorbus aucuparia, Quercus robur, Salix caprea, and Acer campestre.

Trees were specifically selected and sited for water and biodiversity improvements and for their many climate benefits from providing oxygen and absorbing carbon dioxide to providing resources and habitat to wildlife.

Almost 30,000 trees at the Masham Estate

Johnsons Nurseries’ marketing manager, Eleanor Richardson, said:

“We were excited to work on this project in collaboration with the Swinton Estate, The DTMS Group, and the White Rose Forest. The trees that we supplied included a range of native species, from pines to oaks, enhancing the natural beauty of the estate and contributing to improving biodiversity and water quality.”

Will Richardson, forestry advisor to the Swinton Estate, added:

“The Swinton Estate have a long-term ambition to increase tree cover by 50% over the next 20 years, creating around 350ha of new mixed woodland and wood pasture. This is driven by a desire to improve sustainability and nature conservation across the estate, sequester carbon and to produce sustainable crops of timber in years to come.

“This has been the first phase of this programme, and we are delighted with the contributions made by the White Rose Forest, DTMS as contractors and Johnsons as tree suppliers in helping us to deliver this. We very much look forward to seeing the new woodland thrive and mature over the years.”

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What happens to the Bettys Easter Egg after the window display?

Bettys Easter egg is a familiar sight in Harrogate each year but questions have been raised about what happens to the egg after the festivities.

Speculation has been circulating on social media this week as to what happens to the famous egg after the display.

Some Facebook users said the egg is disposed of once the festivities are over, which caused debate as to what should happen to it. Some people argued it should be sold or donated.

The tradition of the Bettys display is more than a century old. The company’s founder Frederick Belmont designed eggs ornately crafted like the ones on display and a tradition was born.

It features hand piped icing designs and contains over 5kg of Swiss chocolate.

The Stray Ferret spoke to Bettys and a spokesperson said:

“We have seen rumors on social media and can confirm the egg wouldn’t be safe to eat, it has been lacquered to prevent it melting and by the end of the display it is all covered in dust. It used to be donated to charity years ago.”

A spokesperson involved in the creation of the Bettys window displays said:

“The eggs and cakes for windows are produced as normal but with artificial colours used for the icing so they don’t fade as quickly as the natural colours we normally. This new lacquer clear spray is relatively new. We have only done a couple of displays with it, but it stops the products degrading in the window but it’s not edible. Some of the cakes are not sprayed and are made out of royal icing or marzipan and sugar paste so they don’t melt. I do vaguely remember the eggs being donated away when I first started but now with health and safety and the new lacquer process sprayed on at the end it’s not possible.”

Bettys Easter window display 2024

Disappointed Bettys fans can still purchase a ‘grande’ egg of their own for £375.

The eggs are made to order and are only available for collection from a Bettys store. Smaller eggs in the display are also available to purchase here.

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Knaresborough woman awarded palliative care award at national care awards

A Knaresborough woman has won the palliative care award at the national finals of the Great British Care Awards.

Karen Crampton is live-in carer from Carefound Home Care, Harrogate. The company is a provider of local home care services that enable older people to live at home and has branches in Wilmslow, West Bridgford, Harrogate and York.

As a professional live-in carer, Ms Crampton provides round-the-clock care to her clients in their own homes. The role enables patients to remain at home, including at the end of life.

The Great British Care Awards celebrate excellence across the care sector and took place at the ICC in Birmingham on March 22.

Ms Crampton was named as the national winner of the palliative care award, recognising the end-of-life care she provides to older people in their own homes. She previously won the regional award at the Yorkshire & Humberside event at the Royal Armouries in Leeds.

TV celebrities Rylan Clark and Steve Walls presented the award to her at the awards ceremony.

Ms Crampton said:

“I feel a little overwhelmed, but winning this national award was just really wonderful. I really do love my job and even though it’s challenging and hard work at times, the joy I get out of giving such personal care when it truly matters outweighs it all. I truly care for my clients and their families and want them to feel safe in the knowledge that everything will be taken care of with dignity and respect for all involved.

“I have worked at Carefound Home Care for almost seven years now and giving such personal, one-to-one care is so rewarding and I can honestly say it’s the best feeling of job satisfaction I have known.”

Karen Crampton and Leonnie Martin from Carefound Home Care at the Great British Care Awards

The judges of The Great British Care Awards said:

“Karen’s exceptional compassion and understanding of the importance of love and quality experiences shine brightly. Going beyond the norm, she helps individuals create lasting memories, including outings in her motorhome. Her remarkable outlook on death is a gift to those facing it, making her a true inspiration.”

Carla Hainsworth, registered branch manager at Carefound Home Care in Harrogate, added:

“We’re incredibly proud of Karen for this national recognition of the outstanding care she provides to her clients. She has demonstrated a passion for providing palliative care at home and helps families to experience sensitive and dignified care at the end of life.

“We know that over 70% of people would prefer to die at home (according to Dying Matters, 2017) and Karen’s well-deserved award is a great example of how live-in care can make this happen and avoid unnecessary admissions to hospital.”

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Knaresborough gift shop to open this weekend

A new home and gift shop is set to open in Knaresborough over the Easter weekend.

Trinket will open on Saturday, March 30 at 11 Castlegate in the former Cave & Castle delicatessen premises.

The independent boutique will sell home fragrance, handbags, throws and cushions, stationery, jewellery and home décor.

The store is owned by partners Claire Gagon and Georgia France who live in Starbeck.

They decided to move to the district last year after they “fell in love with the area”. Prior to their Knaresborough business venture they owned a café bar in Macclesfield but sold it when they decided to move to the Harrogate area.

Ms Gagon said:

“We spotted the shop was empty and made enquiries to acquire it. It has a lot of character and the landlady has given us permission to make use of her lovely shop.”

She added that they renovated the shop to “bring it back to its former glory”.

The Cave & Castlle delicatessen prior to Trinket’s refurbishment

Ms Gagon said:

“The shop needed quite a lot of work doing to it, it had fallen into a state of disrepair. It has been rewired throughout, a new kitchen for our personal use has been installed, new bathroom facilities, repairs to shop front and new signage, new flooring throughout, we have a builder on site to make repairs.

“We have settled in well and our lovely neighbours have been so welcoming. We are going to be open for the easter weekend, hopefully fingers crossed.”

Charlotte Gale, of Knaresborough & District Chamber, added:

“We’re delighted to welcome Trinket to Knaresborough. We’re fortunate to have such a diverse range of independent businesses in the town, with some fantastic new openings during the past year. A new home and gift shop will really compliment the current Castlegate and Green Dragon Yard offering and we wish the owners every success with their new venture”

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Knaresborough gift shop to open this weekend

A new home and gift shop is set to open in Knaresborough over the Easter weekend.

Trinket will open on Saturday, March 30 at 11 Castlegate in the former Cave & Castle delicatessen premises.

The independent boutique will sell home fragrance, handbags, throws and cushions, stationery, jewellery and home décor.

The store is owned by partners Claire Gagon and Georgia France who live in Starbeck.

They decided to move to the district last year after they “fell in love with the area”. Prior to their Knaresborough business venture they owned a café bar in Macclesfield but sold it when they decided to move to the Harrogate area.

Ms Gagon said:

“We spotted the shop was empty and made enquiries to acquire it. It has a lot of character and the landlady has given us permission to make use of her lovely shop.”

She added that they renovated the shop to “bring it back to its former glory”.

The Cave & Castlle delicatessen prior to Trinket’s refurbishment

Ms Gagon said:

“The shop needed quite a lot of work doing to it, it had fallen into a state of disrepair. It has been rewired throughout, a new kitchen for our personal use has been installed, new bathroom facilities, repairs to shop front and new signage, new flooring throughout, we have a builder on site to make repairs.

“We have settled in well and our lovely neighbours have been so welcoming. We are going to be open for the easter weekend, hopefully fingers crossed.”

Charlotte Gale, of Knaresborough & District Chamber, added:

“We’re delighted to welcome Trinket to Knaresborough. We’re fortunate to have such a diverse range of independent businesses in the town, with some fantastic new openings during the past year. A new home and gift shop will really compliment the current Castlegate and Green Dragon Yard offering and we wish the owners every success with their new venture”

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